Popular heritage sites in Kochi to welcome people with disabilities

Two of Kochi’s most popular heritage sites – Mattancherry Dutch Palace and St Francis Church- will soon be accessible to people with disabilities. The Archaeological Survey of India will modify the monuments in two phases.

The plan is to place signages and braille signs inside the building in the first three months while in the next six months, ramps and pathways will be set up inside the structures.

Due to space constrictions at the St Francis Church, building of ramps will be in a limited manner so that people on wheelchairs can move around the church on a separate pathway. At the Dutch Palace, the stairs leading to the museum are steep and therefore a suspended lift will be set up that can carry a person with a wheelchair and help them enter through a window. It can be used for the elderly also.

Construction of accessible toilets will also be included. At the St Francis Church,existing toilet blocks will have to be modified to make them disabled-friendly due to space problems. All this will be completed in a year’s time and is part of the ‘Adarsh Monuments’ program.